Meaning & use
a missed opportunity
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A chance to do something good that was not taken, so the good result was lost.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a missed opportunity' or 'several missed opportunities'.
Patterns
- a missed opportunity for someone
- a missed opportunity to do something
Not studying abroad was a missed opportunity for her.
The meeting was a missed opportunity to solve the problem.
He saw the job rejection as a missed opportunity to grow.
Word forms
| plural | missed opportunities |
|---|
Common combinations
- a huge missed opportunity
- Skipping the training was a huge missed opportunity.
- a missed opportunity for
- The delay was a missed opportunity for peace.
- a missed opportunity to
- It was a missed opportunity to say sorry.
- see something as a missed opportunity
- She saw the quiet weekend as a missed opportunity to rest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lost chance
- Similar meaning, but 'lost chance' is less formal and less common in writing.
- regret
- A feeling of sadness about something; 'missed opportunity' is the situation itself, not the feeling.
Opposites
Commonly confused: a missed opportunity or missed chance?
a missed opportunity vs missed chance
'Missed chance' is understandable but much less common; 'missed opportunity' is the standard phrase.
Practice
The team did not use its best player, which was a ______ to win the game.
Choose one answer.
'A missed opportunity' is the correct singular phrase after 'a'. 'Missed opportunities' is plural and does not fit 'a'. 'Missing opportunity' suggests the chance is absent now, not that it was lost. 'Miss opportunity' is missing the -ed form needed in this fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a missed opportunity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.